World News: Pistorious Not Guilty

Nearly two years after killing Reeva Steenkamp, South African Olympian Oscar Pistorius has been found not guilty of murder. “He did not intend to kill her,” Judge Thokozile Masipa said. The case had centered around a scenario in which Pistorius (who is a double amputee and wears prosthetics below both of his knees) awoke on Valentine’s Day night in 2013 and heard someone in his bathroom. Assuming the person was an intruder, Pistorius took his handgun and shot four times through the door, killing his girlfriend, Steenkamp. Evidence presented in the case suggests that Pistorius truly believed the person in the bathroom was an intruder, although that is irrelevant to the case, the judge said. Though Pistorius is officially not a murderer he was found guilty of homicide, not to mention three weapons charges. As there is no minimum sentence for homicide in South Africa, it will be up to the judge to decide what penalty Pistorius will pay.